The Checkup: This Obscure Drug Could Reverse Obesity

This is interesting: Researchers think an old drug used to treat asthma could reverse—yes, reverse—obesity. So far, the treatment has only been tested in mice, but it seems to work pretty darn well.

The research team from the University of Michigan’s Life Sciences Institute say the discovery provides more evidence of the role that genes seem to play in maintaining a steady metabolism. The drug, amlexanox, which is prescribed for asthma in Japan and for canker sores here (weird, right?), seems to inhibit two genes that slow down metabolism. By blocking those genes, the drug gets the metabolic system back up to speed, so you can burn more calories.

The researchers are now working to rework the drug into a compound that makes sense for humans. And of course they’ll check to make sure the treatment actually works in humans, and not just in mice. Read more here.

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